Page 40 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

Material interaction and the client’s mental health
The art therapists stated that within the process of art making (besides the client’s choice of art materials, the interaction with other clients and the art therapist) observation of the material interaction was most important to gain a perspective of a client’s mental health, which also helped further decision-making. Material interaction reflected personal characteristics of clients, such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, perfectionism, need for control, rigidness, the ability to deal with and feel (negative) emotions, anxiety and agitation. These characteristics overlap and interconnect, but three overarching aspects emerged from the analysis as important in assessment. These three characteristic aspects of rationalization, flexibility and motivation are reflected in the material interaction.
Rationalization
The first aspect refers to the amount of rationalization. Clients often seemed to be stuck in ingrained patterns of behavior, feeling and thinking. Clients held on to these patterns because these were familiar and secure. Clients often lacked the curiosity to experiment with art materials and discover what a material could and could not do. Rationalization helped them to keep some distance. Clients tended to be very conscious of how they presented themselves.
The material interaction of clients who tended to rationalize was characterized by:
- The need for structure and control. The clients often preferred
graphic materials that were easily be controlled and materials that were reversible, like pencils that could be erased, and materials that demanded little physical contact. Some of these clients even tried to control art materials that are fluid and difficult to control, which produced tension and frustration.
- Thinking and rethinking. Clients often had an idea thought through before acting.
- Initiation of art making by copying or imitating an example.
- Making the art product very important, striving for perfection.
- One-sided material interaction. The client hardly made use of the
properties of art materials. The art materials often were no more than
a tool to carry out a rational idea.
- Rigidness in forms, emphasizing the contours.
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